Teriyaki Chicken Thighs

I got this recipe from Ellie Krieger off the Food Network and I love it. It's incredibly easy and require little work. And it's low-fat, which you will hopefully seeing a lot more as I am trying to "health-en" it up around here!

Ingredients

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

2 TB brown sugar

2 TB dry sherry (if you omit this, it's just as good)

2 TB rice vinegar

2 garlic cloves, crushed with a garlic press, or minced

1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 pounds skinless chicken thighs (I get boneless and skinless thighs)

2 tsp sesame seeds

Directions

Combine the soy sauce, sugar, sherry, vinegar, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes and stir until sugar dissolves. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag and add the chicken. Seal the bag and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator, turning once, for 1-4 hours.

Heat the broiler to high. Arrange the chicken on a broiler pan skin side down and broil until brown and crispy, 8-10 minutes. Flip the chicken and broil until almost cooked through, about 8 minutes longer. Sprinkle with seeds and cook until the seeds turn golden brown and the chicken is done, 1-2 minutes longer.

Food Tips

1. Fresh ginger is the best, but it can be annoying because you have to buy a huge piece of it, to only use a tip. Fortunately it freezes great, so just place in a zip lock and throw in the freezer until your next use.

2. If you are not a fan of cooking with wine or sherry (I can't stand it, I've tried so many times and just ended up dry heaving from the smell), it's usually an ingredient that can be omitted, or substituted with whatever broth or stock is most appropriate. Of course, some recipes are "wine based" so you may just want to forget about cooking those completely.

Cheddar Chive Muffins

These were great because they are quite versatile. They have chives in them, which makes them a savory muffin for dinner, but still are just as delicious if you smear honey on them for breakfast. They are also potato based, which makes them so tender and delicious hot out of the oven, sheesh, now I'm craving them again!

1-1/4 cups milk

3/4 cups mashed potato flakes (or pearls)

1 egg

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

1-2/3 cups all purpose flour

3 TB sugar

2 TB minced chives

1 TB dried parsley flakes

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1. In a small saucepan, bring mild to a boil. Remove from the heat; stir in potato flakes. Let stand for 2 minutes. Whip with a fork until smooth; cool slightly. Transfer to a large bowl. Beat in the egg, oil and cheese. Combine the flour, sugar, chives, parsley, baking powder and salt; stir into potato mixture just until moistened (batter will be thick).

2. Fill greased muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Cherry Almond Chews

Aren't they pretty? They are such delicious cookies, with a great festive look. If you are at all a fan of coconut, or anything flavored with almond extract (one of my favorite extracts), you will love these cookies.

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

3/4 tsp almond extract

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2-1/2 cups flaked coconut

3/4 cups almonds or pecans, chopped (optional, mine were just fine without them)

1 jar maraschino cherries, drained and halved

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extract. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in coconut and nuts.

2. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto lightly greased baking sheets. Place a cherry half in the center of each. Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Is there anything more healing and comforting then homemade chicken noodle soup? For me, even making it is a therapeutic process that continues to give aid every year when the weather gets cool. I make a huge pot of it, then live off of it for about a week, I never get sick of it! A lot of people out there have their traditional ways of making it, but for those of you who haven't ventured to make homemade chicken noodle soup, this is how I make mine. Remember, the measurements of the ingredients are rough, so don't be afraid to put in more or less of whatever you want.

Ingredients

1 med sized whole chicken, giblets removed

1 box chicken broth

1-2 onions chopped

6-7 carrots peeled and chopped

6-7 stalks of celery chopped

1 bag of frozen egg noodles (if you can't find frozen, use dried egg noodles, or make your own)

1/2 jar of Better then Bouillon, or any chicken bullion base.

(This stuff is so much better for your soup then the grains, or squares of bouillon. It's not hard to find either.)

1-2 tsp black pepper

1-2 TB dried or fresh parsley

Directions

Place whole chicken in large soup pan and cover entirely with water. Boil chicken in pan for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until chicken is completely cooked through. Remove chicken from water and let cool. Reserve water.

If you would like a less fattening soup, let water sit and cool, even overnight if you'd like, and skim off top layer of fat. If you want the fat from the chicken (does make a much more flavorful soup), you can use the water right away.

After chicken has cooled, remove all meat from the bones and cut into bite sized pieces.

Strain water with cheesecloth to remove any chicken bits and place on med heat. Add chicken broth until pan is a little over halfway full (remember, I use the largest pan I have, and I don't always use the entire box of broth). Add carrots, onions and celery. Let simmer until veggies are softened. Add noodles and bouillon. Add bouillon in small amounts and wait a minute or two before adding more, tasting in between. Add enough to your satisfaction. Once noodles are softened, add chicken, parsley and black pepper. Serve hot with a piece of crusty french bread and a Diet Coke (at least, that's how I would enjoy it!)

Riconee

Life just wouldn't be as great without pasta, agreed? My mom used to make this for us all the time, and I love it. It's very similar to lasagna, the biggest difference being that it's made with shells, but it still holds it's own as being a unique and comforting dish.

3 cups medium shells

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/4 cup +2 TB Parm cheese

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion chopped fine

1 16 oz can tomatoes

1 6 oz can tomato paste

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp basil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 cups shredded mozzerella

1 cup shredded swiss cheese

1/4 cup cottage cheese

Cook shells, rinse w/ cold water, let cool and stir in egg and 1/4 cup parm. Brown beef and onions until tender and add tomatoes, paste and spices. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Combine all cheeses and mix together. In 13x9 inch pan, layer shell mixture, half cheese mixture, then half meat mixture. Repeat. Sprinkle top w/ 2TB parm. Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes.

Oven baked chicken nuggets

It's fun to see what kind of inventions you can come up with when your cupboard is getting bare!

This is one of those times to pull out that notorious bottle of salad dressing that is quickly reaching that horrible date stamped to it's side, marking the end of it's time! I've done this with ranch and honey mustard as well, and it always turns out great! Plus, the kids love them.

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup italian dressing (or whatever dressing sounds good)
1 cup italian breadcrumbs (or plain, I've also used crush cornflakes, or crackers. I've even used Honey Bunches and Oats cereal, it was all great!)

Use two round cake pans, one for your dressing, one for your breadcrumbs. Cut chicken into "nugget" sized pieces. Coat chicken pieces in dressing, and then coat in breadcrumbs. Spread chicken pieces evenly on a sprayed cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked completely through. Be sure not to overcook.

Chili

Oh how I love chili, especially in the colder months. It's warm, it's hearty, it's delicious. Chili is one of the best things to make when you're trying to clean out your pantry, or you are low on food. You could really add so many things to chili and it would be great. This is a recipe I saw made on Paula Dean's show, and it's really wonderful, as well as so easy, just be sure to give yourself enough time. I usually use this as my "base" recipe and then add a few things to make it my own. I love to add more veggies like corn and garbanzo beans to give it more color, and nutrients. I also love Worchestershire and dried ground mustard for more richness, and of course, garlic salt!

Ingredients
1 pound mixed ground beef and sausage, browned and drained
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper diced
2 cups chopped celery
2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (28-ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes
Ground cumin
Chili powder
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 package chili seasoning mix (I use two!)
Shredded cheddar, sour cream, chopped green onions, for garnish
Directions
In a skillet brown ground beef and sausage, drain and set aside.

Spray large pot with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the onion, green pepper, and celery and saute briefly. Stir in the diced and whole tomatoes. Add cumin and chili powder, to taste, and cook for about 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add the beans, browned meat, and chili seasoning. Partially cover, and let simmer for 4 hours.

Grilled Sandwiches

I would just like to remind everyone that I am not a food photographer, I kind of suck at it actually. Hopefully in the far future I can pick up some mad camera skills, as well as a mad new camera.

I am a sandwich fanatic, I LOVE them, and the bigger and more outrageous they are, the better! One of the things on my wish list is a panini press, because I love gooey hot sandwiches, the kind full of melty cheese, spicy meats, and yummy veggies. Mmmm. But, since I don't have a panini press yet, I've had to be a little creative with my sandwiches. And they aren't bad at all!

1. My favorite bread for the grilled sandwich is french bread, that I usually hollow out. That way the bulk of your sandwich isn't lost in a world of bread, and your sandwich comes out crustier.

2. I spread mayo and mustard on each side, as well as a red wine vinegar, or italian dressing for an extra zing. Then I load full of toppings such as ham, salami, pepperoni, turkey, red onion, tomato, baby spinach, cheddar and provolone cheese.

3. Carefully put sandwich together and cut in half if necessary. Place sandwich on skillet, preferably a long electric skillet if you have one. Press sandwich together and use a second skillet or heavy pan to set on top of sandwich to keep firmly pressed.

4. Once one side is brown, warm and crispy, flip, and cook opposite side. Be sure that cheeses are melted and veggies have wilted.

5. Slice and serve immediately.

If you aren't as interested in having a crispy sandwich, you can wrap it in foil and bake it in the oven at 375 for about twenty minutes. Keep it wrapped in foil and it will stay warm for a while, for things like picnics!

Grilled Chicken and Pesto Farfalle

Oh be still my beating heart! I knew when I saw this recipe that I was going to HAVE to make it. I LOVE pesto, and just when I thought nothing could beat the homeade stuff (I'm pretty proud of my pesto), I found a brand at the grocery store that was pretty dang good! Now I have a little left over to spread over my bread, mix in with my eggs, or just eat off with a spoon (no I would never do that...or would I!). Anyway, it's Buittoni, and it's in the refrigerator section, often with their specialty foods. If you are a pesto lover, you will love this recipe.

This recipe comes from Cooking Light and makes a TON. Even when halving it, I still ended up with about two servings leftover. Just thought you should know! :-)

Ingredients

1 3/4 pounds skinless. boneless chicken breast halves

1 tsp salt divided

3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper divided

Cooking spray

20 ounces uncooked farfalle (bowtie pasta)

1 TB butter

3 garlic cloves minced

1 1/2 cups 1 % low-fat milk, divided

2 TB all purpose flour

1 (3.5 ounce) jar pesto-about 1/3 cup (I used quite a bit more!)

3/4 half and half (get fat free, it's just as good)

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded fresh Parmesan cheese, divided

4 cups halved grape tomatoes (about two pints)

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Prepare grill to medium high heat.
2. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 10 minutes, or until done, turning after 6 minutes. Remove from grill; let stand 5 minutes. Cut chicken into 1/2 inch pieces; keep warm
3. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Place pasta in a large bowl.
4. Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Combine 1/2 cup milk and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in pesto. Gradually add remaining 1 cup milk and half-and-half, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook 8 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Add 1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid, remaining 3/4 tsp salt, remaining 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1 cup cheese; stir until cheese melts.
5. Add chicken and sauce to pasta, tossing well to coat. Add tomatoes and basil; toss gently. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Serve immediately. Yield: 10 servings.

Potato and Lamb Moussaka

Okay, before you skip over this recipe entirely because you saw the lamb, let me tell you now that lamb is not currently not written into my budget either! I used ground beef and this recipe turned out just fine. Of course, I have no doubt that lamb would have made it divine!

Let me also add another note, this is a Greek dish, and it calls for cinnamon, which you can taste. If you have picky eaters, or if you're afraid that you can't swing cinnamon in a savory dish, I suggest either omitting it completely, or using chili powder or coriander as a substitute, you'll have a great meat and potato dish on your hands without having to worry about anyone turning their nose up!

Having said that, we prepared this, cinnamon and all, and it was fabulous!

Ingredients

Cooking spray

2 pounds peeled baking potato, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 pound ground lamb (or beef)

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped red pepper

1 cup tomato sauce

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 cup 1% low fat milk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

1. Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Ad one-third of potato slices to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Transfer potato to bowl. Repeat procedure with cooking spray and remaining potato slices.

2. Preheat oven to 350.

3. Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, garlic, and lamb to pan; cook 3 minutes or until lamb begins to brown. Add bell peppers, tomato sauce, salt, cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, and parsley; cook 10 minutes.

4. Arrange half of potato slices in a 13x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange lamb mixture over potatoes; top with remaining potato slices. Combine milk and eggs in a small bowl; pour over potato mixture. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until top is golden and set. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Yield 6 servings.

Who says veggies can't be comforting?

Apparently I am a big fan of oven roasting, because this is also my favorite way to prepare vegetables. The come out so soft, so sweet, and caramelized. I LOVE them, and there are so many ways to prepare them. So here are my veggie oven roasting tips:

1. You can really roast just about any type of vegetable, even tomatoes (with garlic and basil, mmmm), but just be sure to combine veggies with the same firmness and that would combine well with each other. Root veggies, squash, peppers, mushrooms, and eggplant are some of my favorites.

2. Be sure to cut up all your veggies the same size so they all cook evenly.

3. Toss with olive oil, or butter, and favorite seasonings, even just salt and pepper will do. Rosemary, garlic and herbs, italian seasonings, pesto, even seasonings meant for meat.

4. Spread evenly over baking sheet and roast at 400 for 15-20 minutes, or until softened and browned. Time will often depend on the size you cut your veggies.

5. Eat them as a side dish, put in a sandwich or wrap with pesto, hummus or just mayo, you won't even miss your lunchmeat!

Pumpkin Pie Tartlets

Baked in a mini muffin pan

Baked in tartlet pans, which I found at Bed, Bath and Beyond for o.59 cents each. Aren't they pretty!

I LOVE these mini tarts, and I'm sure you've noticed. The coolest thing about them is that there are countless things you can do with them, and they are a great way to entertain. They are small, can be eaten with fingers and they aren't messy.





You can really turn just about any pie into a tartlet, you just have to moderate the cooking time a little, which isn't hard, just keep an eye on it. Since it's fall, I wanted to see how mini pumpkin pies would turn out. I found a very basic pie recipe, bought a pie crust and whipped cream, and they turned out pretty good. They do take some time, but they're kind of fun, and not hard at all.

When choosing your pie recipe, you will have to decide how many you want to make, because with just one pumpkin pie recipe, I was able to fill four pie crusts worth of tartlets! So if you are only feeding a small crowd, you may want to half the recipe, or save the filling for another time in the near future. I am going to put the entire recipe on here, since my math is awful and I know I would end up giving wrong measurements, so just keep that in mind!

4 refrigerated pie crusts (most boxes have to crusts in them)
1 15 ounce can pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 slightly beaten eggs
3/4 cup half and half, light cream, or milk

Spray mini muffin pan, or tartlet pan. Unroll pie crust and using rolling pin, roll out until pie crust is almost twice the size. Using the rim of a glass, or biscuit cutter, cut out circle big enough to fit muffin cup. Lay pie crust circle in flour side down and shape to fit pan.

For filling, in a medium bowl combine pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Add eggs; beat lightly with a fork just until combined. Gradually add half-and-half; stir until combined.

Using a ladle, or a cup with a spout, pour filling into muffin cups, fill 2/3 of the cup. Bake at 375 for 25 to 35 minutes, or until crust is brown, and a toothpick comes clean from the filling.

Coconut Bread

Hey guys! I've been slow to post, but I have been making quite a few great things that I think you'll love, so give me a day or two and I will be posting a lot more.

I made this recipe just today for an enrichment activity centering around all things bread. We were instructed to bring one bread dish with accompanied recipe to share. After lots of careful consideration, I went with the easiest option, to make something requiring ingredients that I already had! So I made coconut bread, and it was yummy. Of course, in my opinion, anything with coconut is divine. I understand that there may be an even delicious-er coconut glaze that could be drizzled atop the bread, so if I get my hands on that, I'll be sure to offer an update *wink*!

Coconut Bread

2 cups sugar
¾ cups vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 tsp coconut extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, oil, eggs and extract. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, stirring just until moistened. Fold in coconut and walnuts.

Pour into two greased 8-in by 14-in by 2-inch loaf pans. Bake at 325 for 60-65 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

*If you don't have buttermilk on hand (who does), you can easily make your own. Just combine one tablespoon lemon juice with one cup of milk and let sit for ten minutes to thicken. EASY!

Oops!

Probably not the smartest move on my part, but I tend to do most of my blogging in the late hours, when my brain has gone into partial hibernation. Needless to say, things get overlooked. Such as when I post a recipe (club pasta), post ingredients, but no directions! I think it's because I know you guys are smart enough to figure it out! Anyway, I just barely discovered it, laughed at myself, and added them. Sorry about that, but as a sidenote, you should seriously try the pasta, it just might change your life.

Pork-choppin' it!

I don't remember growing up eating a lot of pork, besides the occasional ham, or pork roast. Maybe my memory is just bad, sorry mom!

It seems just seems that lately I have either discovered, or re-discovered how great pork chops are. They are fairly inexpensive, versatile, and a fast and easy dinner solution. So, as my tribute to pork chops, I thought I would list my four favorite, and quickest ways to prepare them.

1. Arrange 4-6 chops in a 9x13 casserole pan. Sprinkle both sides with onion soup mix. Pour about 1/2 cup water in the bottom of the pan. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes, or until cooked through.
*My favorite sides for this dish are applesauce (what else), cornbread, summer squash and zucchini.

2. Layer 4-8 pork chops in crockpot and add 2-3 cans of your favorite cream based soups. I usually combine cream of mushroom with cream of chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (great for Sundays, wink). Pork chops should be practically falling apart, creating more of a pork chop gravy!
*Serve with mashed potatoes, green beans and a green salad.

3. Brown 4 pork chops for two minutes on each side and arrange on a 8x8 inch pan. In the same skillet soften 1 chopped green bell pepper, and 1 chopped onion. Add 1 14 1/2 oz can stewed tomatoes, 2 cups fresh, or thawed corn kernels, 1/2 cup salsa, 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano, and 1/2 tsp ground cumin. Pour mixture over pork chops and bake covered for about 45 minutes, or until pork chops are tender. So healthy, so colorful, so summery!
*Serve with baked potatoes and sour cream with a big helping of diced summer melons.

4. Arrange 4-6 chops in a 9x13 inch casserole pan. Sprinkle each side with 1/2 packet of a dry ranch dip mixture. Pour 1/2 cup water into bottom of the pan. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes, or until chops are cooked through.
*Serve with seasoned rice, steamed carrots and hmmm, applesauce!

*Food tip: Anyone who watches Food Network as religiously as I did already knows this, but whenever dealing with pork, or steak, you should let your meat rest for just a few minutes before serving, or cutting into it. The juice gets a chance to redistribute and you're meat will be much juicier and flavorful if you let it sit, just 3-5 minutes.